Who Were the Sons of God in Genesis 6?

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:22]Hi everyone and welcome to Take Five.

[00:00:24]I'm Barry Stagner. Very glad to have you joining with us today. And as you can see over my shoulder, if you're joining us for the first time, our purpose is to examine difficult Bible passages, which we will do today. And also, we discuss some practices within the church that may need a little closer examination to see their validity and things therefore expose things we have to stay away from.

[00:00:49]Well, I will say that as far as difficult Bible passages, what we have today is the granddaddy of them all. Uh, this has more interpretive gymnastics and speculation than any other verse at least that I know of that um that raises some questions and sadly is a source of division. Uh, if somebody sees it differently, other people attack them and all this stuff that we ought not to never be doing. So, I say that because I want to set the groundwork uh today. You may see this differently and for me on this particular subject I'm going to take the position of logic and but I also am going to take that position recognizing that God nor the Bible is bound by human logic. After all, if God can say, "Let there be light," and there was light, and then on the fourth day of the creation narrative, create the lights in the heavens, and he can do anything, and he's not bound by the the rules and laws that we know monitor humanity and creation. Now, what I want to talk about today is who are the sons of God in Genesis 6:4. We'll add to that, who are the Nephilim. Now I also want to start by saying no one's salvation hangs in the balance over their interpretation of this. It's a complex and difficult issue and there are times that things may make sense and may not make other times where they don't make sense. But you know, I think again we have to consider who the author is of this book, which is the Holy Spirit. And all things as Paul said in Romans that were written before were written for our learning. Now, one of the things for us to recognize is that the term Nephilim does not appear in all translations, but most of the time what you'll find is the word giant. Now the American Standard Version and the English Standard Version both opted for the transliteration meaning the untransated word nephilim.

[00:03:04]And this is a word that like most Hebrew and Greek words has multiple meanings.

[00:03:10]The word can mean giants, but it can also mean a bully or a tyrant. And the phrase sons of God comes from the Hebrew uh ben Elohim.

[00:03:23]Now this phrase means Ben obviously means a son, a grandson or a male child and Elohim means of God and of God is obviously implied here son of God or sons of God. Now, keep these things in mind as we approach this rather mysterious subject of who are the sons of God and who who maybe even more importantly, what are the Nephilim?

[00:03:59]Now, the debate comes from Genesis 6:4, but let's back up a few verses and we can gain the context. We're told in Genesis 6 1-4. Now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to the sons born to them that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, "My spirit shall not strive with man forever, but he is indeed flesh, yet his days shall be 100 120 years." There were giants on the earth in those days and also afterwards.

[00:04:44]Keep that phrase in mind. When the sons of God came into had sexual relations with the daughters of men and they bore children to them, those were the children born were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

[00:05:02]Now again, some maybe even most see the sons of God being representative of fallen angels and use both the book of Job, the oldest book in the Bible, and Jude, the book right before the revelation of Christ, authored by one of Jesus half a brothers to make their case. Now, let's stop at Job first.

[00:05:25]We're told in6, "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them." Now, it seems pretty clear that the phrase here refers to angels. Satan being a created angel himself and you know, coming among them seems to imply that he was the same as those whom he came with.

[00:05:54]Now the weak spot in this I I think is Hebrews 1:5 which says for to which of the angels did he ever say you are my son today I have begotten you? And again I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. Now, I didn't include it in our time today, but Proverbs 30:4 talks about the God who created all things and then poses the question, what is his name and what is his son's name?

[00:06:34]Now, this seems to imply that God does not refer to any angel as his son. And Proverbs tells us he only has one. He has one son. So again, even though with uh Job 1 vers6, we see the very uh interesting phrasing of Satan being among the sons of God uh who came with them or he came with them. I'm not sure that we can make the case that the sons of God and that God refers to this angelic realm as his sons or as his children. What we do know from John 1:12 is that many has received him. To them he gave the right to become the sons and daughters of God. So you know I don't know and again because this is such a hotly debated topic and there are you know good wonderful people on on the the two primary interpretations of what this passage is. But this is probably the most uh widely held position that uh angels had sex with women and created a race of super beings known as the Nephilim.

[00:07:49]Now Jude tells us in 16 also the angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own abode he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. Now this is often used as a proof text for Genesis 6:4 referring to fallen angels or as it can be translated fallen ones.

[00:08:16]Now again, the weakness of this and using it for interpreting Genesis chapter 6 is Jude makes no reference to impregnating the daughters of men, just abandoning their home. That's what the word abode means, or their proper place.

[00:08:32]You know, a third of the angels did exactly that. They followed after Satan.

[00:08:37]And it's very possible this could be a reference to Genesis 6, but as far as my opinion is I think it's a weak point. I don't think it's proof at all. I think it it requires a little bit of expansion on the text in order to make it fit what is actually recorded in Genesis. Now I say that because the word domain means place or rank. So in other words, they moved from their rightful place and rank within the kingdom of God, their home, and left that. And God has put them in everlasting chains until the time of judgment. And we do do know the Bible tells us someday we will judge angels. Now, one more thing. In Matthew 22:30, we're told, "In the resurrection, they will neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven."

[00:09:41]Now, some like to argue because this this just clearly states that that angels do not marry.

[00:09:48]Some like to argue that the angels in heaven don't marry. But that doesn't mean the fallen angels wouldn't do that because after all, they left their proper place. And it's fallen angels that left heaven, came to earth, saw the daughters of men were beautiful, and took them as wives and created this race of giants or nephilim. Now, this is one of the two major interpretations of who are the sons of God and the Nephilim that were born through angelic human procreation.

[00:10:25]fallen angels came to earth, married and impregnated women who gave birth to a race of evil giants that caused God to destroy both them and the earth with a flood. Now again, obviously Genesis 6 is pre flood and we do know uh you know that there was these giants listen before and also after the flood. So, two things to note, and this is where logic comes in, at least for me, and in that all the angels that we know of are male.

[00:11:03]So, here's where I need to speculate.

[00:11:06]So, I'm going to ask this particular question. If all the angels that we know of are male, why would God give reproductive capabilities to those who would never have need of it? The angels do not marry. All of them are male. Why would God do that? It it to me it just seems to be outside of God never doing anything that's confusing confusing or questionable or irrational even though it may be in our thinking outside of logic. But you know the other argument that is made is that the humans uh were simply the human males were simply possessed and therefore uh it wasn't an actual angelic being who manifested in the flesh and you know came down to earth and slept with a woman. They possessed humans. Now the problem with that is that you know possessing a human being doesn't change their DNA and their uh contribution to the child born biologically would remain the same. It wouldn't be some super DNA.

[00:12:20]Now secondly, we're told Genesis says that there were giants in those days and after the flood. Now again, here's here's where I I have trouble with logically this argument that these are fallen angels had sex with humans. Could be that that's exactly what happened. You know, again, let's be careful. I think the only error we can make in in our interpretive mechanisms is becoming dogmatic about them. As I said at the outset, this is the most curious and mysterious verse I believe in all the Bible. It's it's hard for us uh to understand and we have to do like I said some some significant stretching to make the text uh mean that now the flood via the Genesis 5 gen genealogy happened around 2400 BC.

[00:13:17]Now, we're told at that time there were giants who were the offspring of the union of fallen angels and human women.

[00:13:27]Now, after the flood, there were only eight people on the earth, none of whom were giants. They were all Noah's family. And yet, in Numbers 13:33, we're told there we saw the giants, which again could mean bullies and tyrants.

[00:13:47]The descendants of Anch came from the giants and we were like grasshoppers.

[00:13:53]This is a report of the spies about the land of Canaan back to Joshua. Uh we were like grasshoppers in our own sight and so we were in their sight. Now here's the key and here's where I'm saying you know for me you looking at this through a logical lens this is a thousand years later.

[00:14:13]So where did these giants come from?

[00:14:14]Where did the sons of Anch come from? Or what about 9 foot6 Goliath who lived 400 years after the numbers 13 uh report about the sons of Anch and the giants in the land. Now Jude says the angels who left their proper domain were locked up until the time of their judgment.

[00:14:40]So where did the post flood giants come from?

[00:14:44]Now this takes us to the other primary school of interpretation and that is that the sons of God refers to the descendants of Seth. And remember the the Cain and Abel incident, Cain rose up against his brother and killed him. And you know because the conversation that took place back in Genesis 3:15 would still be fresh in the mind of Adam and Eve and also uh you know obviously any other children who may have been born at that time. We don't know you know who all the kids of Adam and Eve were.

[00:15:20]But after Abel died, there was a son who was born and his name was Seth, which means appointed.

[00:15:30]So it seems as though Adam and Eve thought this will be the appointed son who will crush the serpent's head and the serpent bruise his heel. Now it is believed by one group that the uh descendants of Seth are the sons of God.

[00:15:51]The daughters of men to this particular interpretation refers to the daughters of Cain who were evil like their father. Now, the weakness with this is that the marriage of the two spiritually opposing groups could not be the cause of a completely different physiological group of giants.

[00:16:12]It makes no sense. So, again, I think this is probably uh evidence to push toward, you know, the fallen angel union and all that, even though I think that's got major weaknesses, too. So, both positions could actually be wrong. It could mean something that we just don't don't yet understand.

[00:16:31]Now the answer for this is that in the Seth camp or by those in the Seth camp, those who believe that the sons of God refers to the descendants of Seth is that because of the the explanation for giants that is because of the close proximity to initial creation and the near genetic perfection that there were giant people at that time. That's the explanation. Maybe even everybody was way bigger than they are now. Now, was the flood specifically to kill the Nephilim?

[00:17:04]If so, where the Anakim and Goliath, where did they come from? And also, we need to consider what the actual reasons for the flood were. In Genesis 6:5-7, we're told, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he made man mankind on the earth. And he was grieved in his heart. So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." Now, further down, we're told in Genesis 6:11 and 12 that the earth was also corrupt before God, meaning morally destitute, and the earth was filled with violence.

[00:18:02]So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt, for here's the key, all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

[00:18:14]So listen, it seems as though the problem was global and not simply because there were giants who were super bad and super strong, you know, uh, and bullies and tyrants and any other way we want to look at these uh, particular beings. They existed before and after the flood. And you know, it to me it's kind of interesting. I' I've mentioned this in a couple of conferences, but Ken Ham, who built a replica of the ark to the Bible specifications, I had the opportunity early on after it was built to go and tour the ark. And it was fascinating things really when you see the size you know you could understand how there could be room for every species of uh animal some 20,000 that would be you know a known species in a infant size and age to be brought under the ark and caged and and housed for the duration of the flood and then released from the Earth had dried up. But one thing caught my eye that I'll never forget. And uh it was one plaque in one room where uh answers in Genesis had collected a group of uh uh geneticists and uh you know those who study uh math and probabilities and calculated that because of the age span of the pre flood uh humanity it's called the antolubian period and because of the near genetic perfection the ability to give birth to multiple children, multiple multiple mult multiple children that the number of people on the earth due to those two factors were probably somewhere around 16.9 billion people. That's right. Twice as many as there are right now pre flood humans living on the earth. And all of them were corrupt except for eight. And you know I don't know the whole earth had corrupted itself before God. So you know making this um argument that you know it was because of the giants the Nephilim that God destroyed the earth doesn't really float because there were giants after the flood. There were giants along after the flood. and um you know, so I I don't know that that's a valid argument, but if you believe that, you're still going to heaven. If you think fallen angels impregnated human women, or if you think the descendants of Seth are the sons of God and they married the daughters of Cain and brought about a race of bullies and tyrants, you're still going to heaven, too. So here's why I wanted to end with that in particular.

[00:21:16]Doesn't matter your interpretation of this. This is a difficult passage and I don't think anybody can be dogmatic dogmatic about it and say, you know, well, a the sons of God is always a reference in the Old Testament uh to the angelic realm. Well, you have to interpret the old by the new and the new by the old. And Hebrews says God doesn't call angels as sons. So, what does it mean? I'll tell you what I know for sure. There were giants on the earth before the flood. There were giants on the earth after the flood. And in the sense of what the term actually means, there are bullies and tyrants on the earth today. And one thing we can all rejoice in is that we're going to heaven because of the blood of Jesus, not who we think the sons of God or the Nephilim are in Genesis chapter 6. So again, you know, I think the most important takeaway is is what the text says. Let it speak for itself.

[00:22:25]There were giants on the land before and after the flood or in the land before and after the flood. We know that was true 1,000 years after the flood.

[00:22:34]Numbers 13. We know that was true um 400 years after that. Another 1,400 years after the flood, there was a guy named Goliath who the Bible tells us how big he was. He was 9 foot6. He was huge. And so obviously he was a giant as well. So there were giants on the earth in the past. There are bullies and tyrants on the earth today. So I guarantee when we get to heaven, nobody's going to be rushing Jesus and saying, "Enter interpret Genesis 6:4 for me. We're not going to care. We're going to be in the house of the Lord forever and ever and ever. Amen." So, you know, whatever your position is, that's okay. Now, if you think that angels fell, I have, like I said, I have a hard time with that because it just it does and it doesn't mean it's not possible, but it just seems to be kind of counter with the intricacies of all of creation and how, you know, the sun rises and the uh process of photosynthesis and it doesn't seem like there's anything wasted.

[00:23:52]So creating a race of all male angels and giving them procreative capabilities knowing that God is all knowing seems to be a bit contradictory and and I I it doesn't make sense to me but I'm not God. And let's remember this, neither are you. So if somebody thinks it's the sons of Seth, they're your brother or sister. somebody thinks they're fallen angels, they're your brother or sister.

[00:24:22]This is not what determines our salvation. It's just a very, very mysterious passage in scripture. So again, let's be kindly affectionate to one another without grumbling.

[00:24:40]Interesting. That's um something I think we would all do well to heed as I believe Peter uh gave us that exhortation.

[00:24:52]So that's it for this week. And you know Dave, thanks for watching. Thanks for posing the questions uh talking about, you know, the things that you want to know. And oh, let me throw this out there. Um I got this question over the the um Apocrypha and the Bible translations messages multiple times.

[00:25:14]People ask and we talked a little about the uh CBS uh or the CSB CBS Christian Study Bible and that people have been asking about the Legacy Bible. And basically what the Legacy Bible is is the revised version of the 1995 translation known as the NA NASB, the New American Standard Bible. So it's just kind of changed some of the sentence structure to be closer to the original Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. And so it's a valid translation. And for those of you who were asking the question, hope that helps. And it seems to be um pretty popular and it's relatively new. I'm sorry I didn't look up the year uh that it was actually published, but seems to be gathering some steam uh in the Christian communities for as a an accurate translation, one that's got a little bit less cumbersome readability than some of the other translations. So anyway, Legacy Bible, uh we check that as a valid word for word translation. So, but anyway, who are the Nephilim? Uh, they are giants, tyrants, and bullies. Or they are giants or tyrants and bullies.

[00:26:34]Who are the sons of God? Well, they're either fallen angels or they are the descendants of Seth.

[00:26:41]And they're sorry.

[00:26:44]Yeah, descendants of Seth. Um, so, you know, let's not get all weird about this. It's just one of those things that not only I don't think we can ever fully come to a position of of absolute definitive defense of our position, but I also think it's something that has no bearing on us going to the world and preaching the gospel to every creature.

[00:27:12]So either way, tell people about Jesus because that's what's up. That's what's important. We are fast running out of time uh to do that. I believe the Lord has uh the the angel that's going to blow the trump of God and the dead in Christ rise first and we who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet them in the air. In my mind, I picture the trumpet is at the angel's lips, waiting for the command from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to blow that trumpet so he can meet his children, his church, his bride in the air to forever be with him. So let's occupy till he comes. be about the family business which is the saving of souls and God's chosen method is the preaching of the gospel through human vessels and that includes every Christian needs to tell people about Jesus. Let's make sure we're doing that and I don't know that anybody's going to get saved by exit Jesus of Genesis 6:4 and telling them about fallen angels of super race or any of that stuff. But I do know there is one name above every other name by which we must be saved. And that's the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy One of Israel, the head of the church, the savior of the world. Well, that's it for this week. And again, hope this was helpful. And I may not have landed on some decisive answer, but you know, like I said, I I think there's there's some holes in both interpretations.

[00:28:56]And uh so maybe both are wrong and maybe something else is the meaning there. But uh either way, it has zero impact on a person's love for the Lord and the ability of the blood of Christ to cover their sins. So let's let the world know we're her discip his disciples even in the midst of debates within the church by the love we have for one another.

[00:29:22]Well, that's it for this week and again, thanks for joining us. Please make sure you subscribe, like, share, and comment.

[00:29:28]And keep those questions coming. It's really been awesome to see some of the things that that have popped up. And we had lot of interest in Bible translations, rightfully so. So, things like that or just verses. What does this mean? And we'll do the best we can to take a take a look at those things. So, but one thing I may not know exactly what that passage means or who the Nephilim were, but this I do know is that I'll see you here, there, or in the air. God bless you.